- Patients must not have prior therapy with Abraxane; this will enable the researchers to assess the patient response rate in patients that have not been treated with Abraxane. If any patient has been treated with Abraxane outside of this study and they are responding the patient would probably continue to be treated as such in their best interest. Patients who have been treated with other taxanes (not Abraxane) previously, can still respond to this new formulation.